Empire Market Founder Sentenced to 40 Years, Forfeits $101 Million in Bitcoin

A co-creator of the dark web drug marketplace Empire Market has agreed to forfeit 1,230 bitcoin (approximately $101 million) after being sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his role in running the site.

His co‑conspirator, Thomas Pavey, forfeited 1,584 bitcoin last year.

Raheim Hamilton, 30, of Suffolk, Virginia, also consented to forfeit 24.4 ether (about $60,000) and three properties, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois. A federal judge in Chicago sentenced Hamilton on Monday and imposed a $5 million fine.

Hamilton and Pavey operated Empire Market from 2018 to 2020, facilitating more than four million drug transactions valued at over $430 million, prosecutors said. The defendants also sold stolen account credentials, personal data, counterfeit currency and hacking tools.

Pavey, 41, of Ormond Beach, Florida, pleaded guilty last year to a federal drug conspiracy charge and admitted his role in creating and operating Empire Market. He also surrendered his rights to two boxes containing 25‑ounce gold bars, three automobiles and two Florida properties. Pavey is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

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